POA - Lahaina on Day 2??

The second day in Maui I will be going on a Haleakala Sunrise Tour (not from NCL) which will leave me with the rest of the day free. I'd like to go to Lahaina when I get back from that tour, and it seems my only option is to drive there. I heard if there is an accident then it can take hours to get back and I don't want to miss the boat (OK being stuck in Maui wouldn't be the worse thing that happened but then I'd miss the other islands:D)

If I decide to drive, do I need to worry about not getting back to the ship and what time should I leave from Lahaina to get back?

Any other suggestions on what to do that day (on Sunday I will be doing the Road to Hana tour)

I'll be there in May if that make a difference

What time do you return to the ship after your Haleakala tour? You'd probably need to head straight to the shuttles for car pick up. I believe it's a 45 min drive or so to Lahaina.

I'm not sure what the frequency of the road getting blocked is. I'm sure it has happened, but what are the odds? Worst case scenario, you get a hotel room in the Kaanapali area next to Lahaina and spend a wonderful night there. Flights to Hilo probably leave hourly all day and take about 30 minutes. You won't miss the rest of your cruise.

What time do you return to the ship after your Haleakala tour? You'd probably need to head straight to the shuttles for car pick up. I believe it's a 45 min drive or so to Lahaina.

 

I'm not sure what the frequency of the road getting blocked is. I'm sure it has happened, but what are the odds? Worst case scenario, you get a hotel room in the Kaanapali area next to Lahaina and spend a wonderful night there. Flights to Hilo probably leave hourly all day and take about 30 minutes. You won't miss the rest of your cruise.

Thanks Brenda,

We should get back to the ship around 9:30am. That's good to know about the flight from Hilo. Any other suggestions on how to sped the 2nd day in Maui - maybe a beach?

There is a limited Maui County bus service for $2 per ride:

http://www.mauicounty.gov/605/Bus-Service-Information

It would take 1.5 hours one-way (2.5 hours if missing the transfer) with a transfer in Lahaina to arrive at Whalers Village in Ka'anapali Beach. You'd have to walk a mile from the Kahului cruise ship pier to the Queen Ka'ahumanu Center & routes only run hourly. That link has the option to view schedules & to Ka'anapali it's Lahaina Islander #20 to Ka'anapali Islander #25.

While the bus would be cheaper, I think a rental car would be a better option to enjoy Maui & is a minimum 45 minute drive to Lahaina. And road closures along the 2 lane road from Ma'alaea to Kapalua can happen at anytime & are impossible to predict. On average it happens a couple of times per month but that wouldn't keep me from enjoying West Maui. And as said, there are inter-island flights to get you to the ship's next port on your POA cruise. On Princess after Lahaina the next port is Ensenada on the way back to LA & would result in an expensive flight to LA & a hefty fine for violating the PVSA because of missing a foreign port.

What to do in West Maui (Lahaina/Ka'anapali/Napili/Kapalua) is often discussed in detail on this forum & you could search for those threads. Lahaina is an easily walkable old whaling village that at one time was the Hawaii monarchy's capital. Ka'anapali is a resort with large hotels on sandy beaches with good snorkeling at Black Rock (check conditions) adjacent to the Sheraton.

If you're just looking for beaches, you might consider the string of South Maui beaches from Wailea to Makena. There are developed beaches with bathrooms & outdoor showers and also easily accessible undeveloped beaches. If you're interested in this option I could provide additional information about these South Maui beaches which to me are better than those in Maui. Years ago we spent most of our time in West Maui but now prefer South Maui.

There is a limited Maui County bus service for $2 per ride:

 

http://www.mauicounty.gov/605/Bus-Service-Information

 

It would take 1.5 hours one-way (2.5 hours if missing the transfer) with a transfer in Lahaina to arrive at Whalers Village in Ka'anapali Beach. You'd have to walk a mile from the Kahului cruise ship pier to the Queen Ka'ahumanu Center & routes only run hourly. That link has the option to view schedules & to Ka'anapali it's Lahaina Islander #20 to Ka'anapali Islander #25.

 

While the bus would be cheaper, I think a rental car would be a better option to enjoy Maui & is a minimum 45 minute drive to Lahaina. And road closures along the 2 lane road from Ma'alaea to Kapalua can happen at anytime & are impossible to predict. On average it happens a couple of times per month but that wouldn't keep me from enjoying West Maui. And as said, there are inter-island flights to get you to the ship's next port on your POA cruise. On Princess after Lahaina the next port is Ensenada on the way back to LA & would result in an expensive flight to LA & a hefty fine for violating the PVSA because of missing a foreign port.

 

What to do in West Maui (Lahaina/Ka'anapali/Napili/Kapalua) is often discussed in detail on this forum & you could search for those threads. Lahaina is an easily walkable old whaling village that at one time was the Hawaii monarchy's capital. Ka'anapali is a resort with large hotels on sandy beaches with good snorkeling at Black Rock (check conditions) adjacent to the Sheraton.

 

If you're just looking for beaches, you might consider the string of South Maui beaches from Wailea to Makena. There are developed beaches with bathrooms & outdoor showers and also easily accessible undeveloped beaches. If you're interested in this option I could provide additional information about these South Maui beaches which to me are better than those in Maui. Years ago we spent most of our time in West Maui but now prefer South Maui.

Hi, the bus in not an option, we have limited time on the island and the last thing I want to do is spend time on a bus, but thank you for the info. I trying to do/see as much as I can in the limited time I'll be there.

I'm curious about the south Maui beaches as well. Will I need a rental to go there? I'm in the same situation as I will be on the sunrise tour but in autust

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I'm curious about the south Maui beaches as well. Will I need a rental to go there? I'm in the same situation as I will be on the sunrise tour but in autust

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

The drive to Wailea takes about half the time as it takes to get to Lahaina.

If you're seeking great beaches and some shopping & restaurants primarily at the Shops at Wailea, then South Maui is a closer option & has 2 parallel roads to get there. One of the beaches is a spot that snorkeling tour boats call Turtle Town & every time I've taken visiting friends there we always see turtles snorkeling for free from the beach. :D

A rental car is still the best option because the limited public bus system would take too much time.

There's a good aquarium located in Ma'alaea...Maui Ocean Center...and being nearly all indoors it's a nice break from the heat.

I don't think that shuttles such as SpeediShuttle would transport you from the pier leaving only taxi services which as I recall may also include Uber or Lyft.

The drive to Wailea takes about half the time as it takes to get to Lahaina.

 

If you're seeking great beaches and some shopping & restaurants primarily at the Shops at Wailea, then South Maui is a closer option & has 2 parallel roads to get there. One of the beaches is a spot that snorkeling tour boats call Turtle Town & every time I've taken visiting friends there we always see turtles snorkeling for free from the beach. :D

 

A rental car is still the best option because the limited public bus system would take too much time.

 

There's a good aquarium located in Ma'alaea...Maui Ocean Center...and being nearly all indoors it's a nice break from the heat.

 

I don't think that shuttles such as SpeediShuttle would transport you from the pier leaving only taxi services which as I recall may also include Uber or Lyft.

HI,

Spending the day at the beach sounds really nice. Is there a specific spot at Turtle Town to stay at? If I snorkel off the beach would I be close to the turtles or are they further out?

Thanks for your help

HI,

 

Spending the day at the beach sounds really nice. Is there a specific spot at Turtle Town to stay at? If I snorkel off the beach would I be close to the turtles or are they further out?

 

Thanks for your help

You're welcome & happy to share my experiences after decades of visiting Maui including living there & still do part time. That certainly doesn't make me an expert but it's just based on my experiences.

It's Maluaka Beach in the Makena area south of Wailea and the Makena Beach & Golf Resort is in the middle of this crescent shaped sandy beach.

If you search Google Maps for Maluaka Beach you'll see it's location & the snorkeling with turtles is from the parking lot on the southern end at the bottom of the photo. Entering the water from this end of the sandy beach & snorkeling to the left along the rocky lava coastline you're at one of several Maui locations marketed as Turtle Town. Rocky lava shorelines have great visibility with no runoff or sand to cloud the visibility. There's also lots of coral & that's where I've always seen turtles...either swimming or napping in the coral underwater. The reef extends further offshore where the boats anchor but you can decide how far you go out. I've been successful seeing turtles by staying close to the coast.

Another good snorkeling/diving sandy beach is at Ulua/Mokapu beaches (two sides of a lava point with coral) located at the north end of Wailea. Like Maluaka it has a paved parking lot with bathrooms & outdoor showers as does Wailea & Polo beaches that stretch south along the 1.5 mile shoreline that includes sandy beaches & also lava shorelines. That paved oceanfront walkway is where we take our daily roundtrip walks from Ulua or one of the other parking lots when Ulua's is full.

One word of caution...check the conditions first before entering the ocean. Even the most tranquil beaches can be great one day & dangerous the next day. Sadly too many mostly visitors don't consider that fact which has resulted in deaths. It's not to scare anyone but something to consider before going into the water. Maui has created a video to inform visitors about how to have a great experience in Maui's oceans & streams.

http://mauiwatch.com/2015/02/county-debuts-new-ocean-safety-video-for-visitors/